Source: Dong-A Ilbo · 문화연예

What happened

According to Dong-A Ilbo, the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen is running at Chungmu Art Center in Seoul’s Jung-gu district through November 1. High schooler Evan Hansen writes daily letters to himself as a counseling assignment because anxiety keeps him from fitting in. One letter reaches classmate Connor Murphy; after Connor dies, the note is misread as a suicide message Connor left for Evan, pulling Evan into grief, misunderstanding, and sudden belonging.

Dong-A frames the show as an isolated teenager learning to connect. The original Broadway run won six Tony Awards in 2017, including Best Musical. Korea saw a 2024 premiere and now a second season two years later.

The breakdown

The article credits Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — the La La Land lyricists — as the emotional core. Lines from “Waving Through a Window” express a boy’s hunger to be seen; “You Will Be Found” answers that he is not alone. Dong-A quotes Korean renderings along the lines of “Is there anyone who will recognize me?” and “You are not alone.”

Staging matters too. Midway through, Evan’s memorial speech spreads across social media; the production fills the stage with dozens of LED panels to visualize that virality. On August 8, actor Na Hyun-woo reportedly conveyed Evan’s halting speech — wanting to reach others but struggling for courage — with particular poignancy.

Dong-A also highlights parents and children who failed to read each other’s feelings gradually drawing closer, and calls the piece family-friendly despite its heavy themes.

Why it matters outside Korea

Seoul’s repeat import shows sustained appetite for Broadway mental-health narratives in a market already packed with licensed musicals. For English-speaking theater fans, a Korean staging offers a different production language for Pasek and Paul’s score and a test of how an American high-school social-media plot lands locally.

The LED memorial sequence mirrors a global tension: private adolescent pain becoming public content. That makes the run relevant to educators, counselors, and expat parents tracking how Korean youth culture handles visibility and belonging — even inside fiction.

What travelers and expats should watch

• Venue and window: Shows run at Chungmu Art Center (충무아트센터), Jung-gu, through November 1. Book via official Korean presenter channels — Dong-A credits imagery to S&Co — and confirm whether your date offers supertitles or an English synopsis before buying.
• Language and themes: Expect Korean performance of an American book musical. If you rely on English lyrics for the full arc, preview the original song list; Dong-A emphasizes Korean renderings of “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found.”
• Audience fit: Dong-A recommends it for family viewing because of the parent-child reconciliation thread. Traveling with teens? Preview the suicide-and-deception plot first — comforting music, not light comedy.

Context

Read this as a Korean review of an imported Broadway hit’s second Seoul season, not as news of a new Korean-written musical or a Western tour casting announcement. Operational facts for outsiders: Chungmu Art Center, November 1 end date, and the mix of therapy letters, social-media virality, and reconciling families. Use Dong-A’s Tony tally and Pasek-Paul credits as pedigree context, not as a substitute for checking today’s cast and tickets on the presenter site.

Source

Dong-A Ilbo · 문화연예: “날 알아봐 줄 사람 없나요”…외톨이 소년의 수줍은 갈망 — Korean original; plot, venue, dates, Tony count, composer credits, LED staging, August 8 note, and family-audience framing from Dong-A; paraphrased for briefing; read the original for photos and full Korean text.